Official Saikou Michi Dual Oil Catch Can Review - Model S1-GM53-DS

bladz1454 · March 2, 2015

“S1-GM53-DS Concept”

http://www.saikoumichi.com/

Hey guys, sorry for the massive delay but here is my official Saikou Michi Dual catch can write-up. Just a little back ground, at the end of last summer I went to order a catch can and started doing my research. After days of research, I concluded it was time to just have a company make something I felt was up to the challenge with what people wanted – a price friendly, industry proven, efficient, and use friendly can built specifically for our truck’s engine bays.

Why Saikou Michi?

To be honest, after all the research I was torn between RX and Saikou Michi. Both were easily top ranked in all the forums and RX even claimed that the only can as good as theirs was Saikou Michi. After looking into Saikou Michi, I had found no one was yet to install one on our trucks and that because all their cans are individually custom handmade per order – you’d be waiting quite a while to get a can (compared to RX). The wait time alone made me want to go to RX… but here’s what did RX in for me. I noticed in every forum I had been to, everyone was putting Saikou on a pedestal yet no one from Saikou EVER was in the forums promoting their product… it just spoke for itself and user reviews were 100% positive. RX on the other hand, had what I’ll call ‘minions’ in tons of forums pushing their product, getting into arguments, using the same copy and paste scare tactic paragraphs, and bashing lots of other competitors. I don’t care how good your product is, that was just bad marketing so I decided to reach out to Mr. Saikou.

Why dual cans?

Well the biggest test I was running across online was companies (or individuals in some cases) take the best known brand cans, installing them in a line and putting a 2^nd can after the first to see how much the first can was letting by. ALL the cans (strangely Saikou Michi never being tested) let enough by to show significant collection in the 2^nd can and RX let by the least. I was like screw it, why not just run two cans back to back?

The build process (going to keep this short and sweet)…

To start - here is a standard diagram of his cans:

From first email to product in the hands, it took a solid 2.5 months. It literally started with me reaching out and proposing the project, him accepting, and me starting to flood him with sketches, pictures, and drafts of designs using his single catch can. Here’s one of the first ideas I sent him:

Mr. Saikou would quickly turn around communication and ask tons of details questions. Eventually (after weeks of emails) we went with a bracket/stand design:

Product in hand… install (brief)… and testing:

I requested the cans be color matched to my silver truck… when I got the final product I was absolutely shocked at how well constructed and packaged the product was. Welds were beautiful and paint work was perfect.

Install took no longer than 30 minutes, actually did it on my lunch break at work because I was so excited. Longest part of the install was actually adjusting the rear bracket height to get a perfect/snug fit of the can between the “V” bracket and the leg so that it would not move from driving. UPDATE: We are currently in the process of updating this with a threaded adjustable leg.

The can was installed in the first week of January but I have been traveling so much for work (without my truck) and the weather has been so bad that it took a good 45 days to put the first 1,000 miles on it. As I expected, the first can in the line gave me about 75-80% of the pour and the second can in the line gave me the rest (about 10 ounces):

I was like “wow that’s a lot of crud!” at first but then started thinking about my driving habits during that 1,000 miles. I would say it was 80/20 city highway and with the average temperature being between 5-20* Fahrenheit up here in the New England. Also, of the 80% city driving, the truck was making only 5-10 mile trips and was never fully at operating temperature. So this tells me, if I was doing more highway driving and the truck was at full operating temperature, god knows how much MORE it would have collected.

Pricing (STILL PENDING):

I am still in the process of confirming official pricing but last communication it was going to be something along these lines:

Price 1: S1-GM53-DS (w/ laser brackets)(w/¼” & ½” washers) --------------$165.00
Price 2: 2ea 1/4 Turn Ball Valves with Brass Elbows---$20.00
Price 3: 6 feet 5/8" 30R7 hose and 6ea #8 clamps----$24.00
USA Postage--------------------------------------------$16.00

*I will say that the only thing I did end up changing from what came with my kit was the hose, I upgraded from the stock fuel line to 175 PSI transmission line to quiet the system and prevent a slight ‘ovaling’ I was getting from the stock line.

Final thoughts:

I would rank this product easily a 10 out of 10 with the only negative thought when I look back being the adjusting of the brackets during the install (we are currently working on a design update to fix this). Like I said though, I learned from the process and will give some hints in the install write up for others. I mean, the customer service (aka speaking with the owner Mr. Saikou himself) was completely professional on all levels, the product works beyond perfect, looks amazing, installs right into our truck with no modifications, and IF you get the ball valves, - draining takes 5 seconds for each can and it's easier than milking a cow down there with the room you have to drain.

As stated earlier, I am in final thoughts with Mr. Saikou and I will post final prices and ordering information shortly hopefully.

-Drew

henrypbui · March 2, 2015

Thanks. I will send him an email to start one for me if he can. Not satisfied with my current setup.

MNDaveC · March 2, 2015

Thanks, I just ordered a can from him last week. I'd love if you can post a few pictures where you tapped into the stock vacuum connections, and describe that process.

bladz1454 · March 3, 2015

Thanks, I just ordered a can from him last week. I'd love if you can post a few pictures where you tapped into the stock vacuum connections, and describe that process.

Yea for sure, I will post detailed install instructions after the product is finalized.

Do you have a 5.3 or 6.2?

MNDaveC · March 3, 2015

I have 5.3L , I went with single can from SM and asked to add a sight gauge. He is also including heavier duty hoses given his experience with these engines sucking standard hoses out of shape.

bladz1454 · March 4, 2015

I have 5.3L , I went with single can from SM and asked to add a sight gauge. He is also including heavier duty hoses given his experience with these engines sucking standard hoses out of shape.

Hi Dave - I tossed this together real quick gong off his standard can design. Pretty much, the top of his can goes to the front of your engine and the side exit goes to the rear right of your engine after you remove the PCV line. Should come out real easy, just press the clip in and gently slide off.

For 6.2 engines this is even simpler, same crank case outlet with the intake inlet being right right above it.

MNDaveC · March 4, 2015

Thanks for the picto gram! Now just a waiting game to see how long his backlog takes.

bladz1454 · March 4, 2015

Thanks for the picto gram! Now just a waiting game to see how long his backlog takes.

No worries. I am curious to see one of his cans with a view port on it, why didn't I think of that?! haha

DeepSea · April 16, 2015

Hey bladz, how is that dual can working for you?

bladz1454 · April 17, 2015

Hey bladz, how is that dual can working for you?

Beautifully, it has been pumping out tons more than I ever thought it would. I'm probably going to do another dump next weekend when I do my first oil change since installing the can. So far in 2,000 miles, its filled two full Poland Spring bottles. Mr. Saikou is currently making a spring supported adjustable leg - once I have that installed the final product will be complete.

I will do my final thoughts and the product will be unleashed to everyone

DeepSea · April 17, 2015

Beautifully, it has been pumping out tons more than I ever thought it would. I'm probably going to do another dump next weekend when I do my first oil change since installing the can. So far in 2,000 miles, its filled two full Poland Spring bottles. Mr. Saikou is currently making a spring supported adjustable leg - once I have that installed the final product will be complete.

I will do my final thoughts and the product will be unleashed to everyone

Thanks for the update! I sent an e-mail requesting info from Mr. Saikou. I'm gonna put one in my Sierra. Do you get much fluid out of the second can?

bladz1454 · April 17, 2015

Thanks for the update! I sent an e-mail requesting info from Mr. Saikou. I'm gonna put one in my Sierra. Do you get much fluid out of the second can?

Nice! Yea he said multiple people have already reached out with our trucks. In regards to the second can, yea you do get a solid amount out of it (like quarter to half of whats in the first can) which was surprising. I'm tempted to take another brand and run the same test, even though its already been done a few years back.

Silverado-Hareek · April 20, 2015

I resent being called an RX minion!!!!!!

J/k .

Nice write up man. If I may make a suggestion, knowing full well this is more work on your part, it would be cool if you did some follow up posts stating the exact number of miles since your last drain with a picture of what each can caught in that time frame.

Something like:

Drain interval: 1,000 miles

First Can Photo

Second Can Photo

I think that would give people a better idea of just how much crap is getting past the first can within a certain range of miles.

Again nice write up and thanks for taking the initiative to pursue something like this and follow through all the way to the end. You've no doubt educated and helped a ton of people. Now dare I ask......what would a third can catch?!?!?!

Dozzer LTZ · April 20, 2015

Just curious.. After several thousand miles of dumping out the crap that the can catches, do you notice your oil level dropping? Or is it mainly moisture mixed with a small amount of oil?

bladz1454 · April 20, 2015

I resent being called an RX minion!!!!!!

J/k .

Nice write up man. If I may make a suggestion, knowing full well this is more work on your part, it would be cool if you did some follow up posts stating the exact number of miles since your last drain with a picture of what each can caught in that time frame.

Something like:

Drain interval: 1,000 miles

First Can Photo

Second Can Photo

I think that would give people a better idea of just how much crap is getting past the first can within a certain range of miles.

Again nice write up and thanks for taking the initiative to pursue something like this and follow through all the way to the end. You've no doubt educated and helped a ton of people. Now dare I ask......what would a third can catch?!?!?!

Thanks man, yea I plan to start doing that with my next one (and tossing in previous data). In regards to the 3rd can, that would be interesting indeed. The fact that the second can is catching as much as it is does not shock me or make me feel the cans aren't catching as much as they should, I think it means the cans are so close to one another than the vapor going through is actually treating it as one huge can with two chambers (which technically it is) because it has no time to cool between chambers. This just goes to show, that yes, if I were to redo this - perhaps I would install them a great distance apart in the line.

At the end of the day, I am going more off of the significantly larger amount of liquid I am pulling from these things than other cans I see on here (and other forums). Can people make arguments about why I am pulling more or the 'science' behind how these cans aren't doing anything different than a single can? Sure, but I am not here to argue. I think for the price, quality, and results - Saikou Michi has created a product to compete in our market

Just curious.. After several thousand miles of dumping out the crap that the can catches, do you notice your oil level dropping? Or is it mainly moisture mixed with a small amount of oil?

Not at all, I do find this really strange to be honest. The two dumps this winter that were ~12 ounces of mixed did settle into about 15-20% oil on top after a few days. I think the oil is leaving the motor permanently but it's not noticeable on the stick to my eyes.